Barnes, Lehtinen help Stars edge closer to Sharks

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- Jere Lehtinen and the Dallas
Stars liked San Jose so much, they felt right at home for a
second straight game.

Lehtinen scored a key goal and rookie Krys Barch netted his
first career tally as the Stars posted a 4-2 victory over the
Sharks.

Rookie Joel Lundqvist had a goal and an assist and Stu Barnes
also scored for Dallas, which recorded a 3-2 shootout win here
on Tuesday.

"We came in here with the intention of playing well," Stars
coach Dave Tippett said. "If we're going to get ourselves to
the level of the standings that San Jose is, these were very
important games for us, so we gained three points on them."

In this one, Barnes gave the Stars a 2-1 lead with 4:44 left in
the first period. Lehtinen doubled the advantage during a
5-on-3 power play at 7:32 of the second, helping Dallas climb
within three points of San Jose for second place in the
top-heavy Pacific Division.

"We're definitely happy with the effort," Barnes said. "We can
smile for a couple of hours and then shift gears tomorrow
because we're going to have a tough one Saturday vs. St. Louis."

After captain Patrick Marleau scored with 6:42 left in the
middle session to cut the Sharks' deficit to 3-2, Barch tallied
2 1/2 minutes into the final period to create breathing room.

"It's nice getting an insurance goal tonight and putting a
little distance in the third period in front of San Jose," Barch
said. "It's a big two points and gets us within three points
behind them."

Playing in his seventh career game, the 26-year-old Barch earned
the respect of his teammates in the second period, when he
jumped in for Eric Lindros and fought San Jose defenseman Doug
Murray.

Marty Turco stopped 18 shots for the Stars, who held the Sharks
without a shot on goal for 20 minutes, 16 seconds, a span that
bridged the first and second periods.

Evgeni Nabokov yielded two goals on eight shots in the first
period before being replaced by Vesa Toskala, who posted
identical numbers over the final two sessions.

"You need everybody on the ice working together, and we have not
had that the last couple of games," Marleau said. "When you
only have a few guys working on the ice, and a couple of other
guys doing other things, it doesn't work."

Reigning Hart Trophy winner Joe Thornton had two assists for San
Jose, which went 0-for-6 on the power play and is just 1-for-32
with the man advantage in its last six games.

"We've got some people who, when we get on the power play right
now and it's not working, they are squeezing their stick,"
Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "We're not seeing open people,
not being able to get a shot through to the net, simple little
things."

San Jose has lost three straight, matching its longest skid of
the season.